Paper cup dispenser



Nov. 8, 1949 c. D. suns 2,487,736

PAPER CUP DISPENSER Filed March 2, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 8, 1949 c. D. slMs 2,487,736

PAPER CUP DISPENSER Filed March 2; 1948 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 8, 1949 Filed March 2, 1948 c. D. SIMS 2,487,736

PAPER CUP DI SPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 paper cups and'is an improvement over the cup Patented Nov. 8 1949 om t ED s m-res PATEE' NT omcs 2.487.736 T PAPER our 'nrsPENsER Clark D. SimahElihhursti-Ill 1assignor tojI iily- Tulip Cup Corporation, ware a corporation of Dela- 'Application March 2, 1'948;""Scrial No; 12,679

2 Claims.

This invention is directed to cup dispensers for -d'ispen ser' disclosed and claimed in Walter E.

TArnb erg Patent No. 2,369,933, granted February '20j 1945.

. 5 Asis well known, paper containers such as "-"paper-cu'ps are usually sold nested one within the other. It i's common practice in' the use of such "Eu'psto' place them in a metal dispenser provided with suitable dispensing elements so that the cups can' bewithdrawn from the bottom of the stack. 'on'eat a time. The dispensing of the cups involves a number of problems. In order to dispense the cups satisfactorily, the dispenser must be such thatbnly a single cup is withdrawn from the "jto'ienlove the lowermost cup of the stack. "Usually if a strong pull is necessary, the cup is likely'tobe' damaged.

' Afriberg patent dispensers which were suitable for bottom of the stack when the lowermost cup of the stack is grasped by'the hand. It is also desirable that'only a slight pull be required in order "Prior to' the invention of the aforementioned dispensing relatively flexible cups were not suitable' for dispensingstiffer types of cups.

Thedisp'nser of the aforementioned Amberg'patent,

"However; was so constructed that both types of cups could be dispensed therefrom provided the "ri'ni diameters of both types of cups were substantially the same,

3O Paper cups are manufactured in many different sizes andit has been necessary to utilize a differnt sizeddispenser for each size of cup, thus re- "duiring many different sized dispensers which thereoffor the many-different sizedcups. 'The miist'be manufactured, stocked and distributed at relatively great cost. The Amberg patented dispenser referred to above'did not satisfactorily dispense paper cups of different sizes and it still necessary to utilize many different sizes "40 construction and shapeof the spring-dispensing blades of that patented construction. were such that cups of different sizes could not be accbm- "modated and dispensed properly.

The-principal object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved cup dispenser for accommodating and dispensing papercups having different rim-diameters whereby the number of cup dispensers requiredto' be manufactured,

- stoeked and-distributed for accommodating and .12 dispensing the large number of various sized '"papercups' may be reduced to a minimum.

In carrying outthis object of the invention the improvedcup dispense'r'is provided with improved "details of construction: of the cup dispenser and "the cooperative relationship between the com- 1 "ponent parts thereof.

- Otherobjects and advantages of"thisinvention "flwillbecome'"apparehtto those skilled in the art upon'reference to the accompanying specification,

" claims and drawings inWhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofthe cup dispenser; x

Figure 2'is a'plan' view of Fig. 1 with the cups "omitted M 1 'Figure' 3' is a front elevational view of one of "thespringfingersutilized in the cup dispenser; Figure rise side elevational'view of the spring I Figure a verticalsectiorial view through the cup''dispenser' taken substantiallyalong the line 55 of 'Fig: 2'a'ndf'showing relatively large cups accornni odated therein;

"Figure sis a; bottom V e ofFig. 5;

' Fi gjllie 7 is a view similar to Fig and 'ShOWing one of the relatively large sized paper cups being dispensed.

Figure B isa seCtional view similar" to Fig. 5,

*butsliowing' relatively'sxnall sized cups"being accommodated. inthe cup dispenser;

1 Figure 9 is'a bottom View hf 8, and v Figure 10 isa view similar to 9, but showing one ofthe small sized cups being dispensed.

The cup dispenser is generally designated at ill "and inc'ludes"a substantially cylindrical tubular member l for holdinga' stack of cups, a bracket i2 is' secured "to the dispenser for mountin purpo's'es. The-tubular member maybe formed "of two parts, the upper part II and a lower part I3, the latter being provided with a flange I4 for receiving the former. The two parts may be spot welded together at the flange I4. For convenience the upper 'part of the tubular member may have an open portion so that the paper cups may be readily loaded therein and so that the number of cups contained within the dispenser may be visually determined. The bottom portion I3 of the substantially cylindrical tubular member provides a dispensing area through which cups may be dispensed from the bottom of the stack one at a time.

The substantially cylindrical tubular member including the dispensing area is of such size that cups of different rim diameters may be accommodated therein, for example, cups I5 having rims I6 of large diameters as illustrated in Figure 5 or cups 3| having rims 32 of relatively small diameters as illustrated in Figure 8.

A plurality of spring fingers I8 are =circumferentially located and secured in the dispensing area I3 of the tubular member. As illustrated four such spring fingers are utilized. Each spring finger I8 is provided with a longitudinal concave inner surface IS, the radius of the concavity being less than the radius of the tubular member. The side portions of the lower end of the spring fingers are bent outwardly at to provide outwardly extending portions 2I and the ends of the;

outwardly extending portions 2! are in turn bent forwardly to provide portions 22 for engaging the tubular member. The spring fingers are relatively resilient and in this respect are formed from stainless steel. Preferably, the spring fin-l i gers are provided with a central detent 23 for the purpose of maintaining the stainless steel fingers in the desired shape as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

The upper end of the spring fingers are provided with holes 24 through which the spring fingers i are secured to the tubular member by rivets 25.

When the spring fingers I8 are secured within the dispensing area of the tubular member, the

upper ends thereof are held against the tubular member by the rivets 25 and the extending por-j I? tions 22 engage :the tubular member whereby there is provided an inwardly and downwardly concave sloping surface intermediate the ends thereof.

When a stack of paper cups is inserted in the dispenser, the rim of the bottom paper cup engages the inwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces of the spring fingers. The spring fingers flex to an extent depending upon the size and weight of the cups, the flexing being permitted by the portions 22 thereof sliding on the tubular member. Because the portions 22 slidably engage the tubular member the resiliency of the fingers may be accurately predetermined.

When the paper cups I5 of relatively large rim diameters are thus accommodated in the dispenser, the rim of the bottom cup will assume a position A relatively high up on the spring fingers I8 as illustrated in Fig. 5. To dispense the bottom cup from the stack of cups all that is necessary is to grasp the bottom cup and pull the same downwardly. When this is done the rim I6 of the paper cup is deformed somewhat as is illustrated in Fig. '7. When the cup is dispensed the rim thereof immediately snaps back to its original condition. As shown in Fig. 7, temporary deformation of the rim of the :paper cup is permitted since the rim enters the concave portion of the sloping surfaces of the fingers, and

* also, enters between the fingers. In this way the' '4 rim of the paper cup may be temporarily and uniformly deformed a slight amount without danger of permanently deforming and allowing the rim to snap back to its original condition.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 disclose the dispenser accommodating a stack of paper cups having relatively small rim diameters and in this respect it is noted that the rim 32 of the bottom cup 3I engages the sloping surfaces of the spring fingers at point B which is somewhat lower than point A in Fig. 5. The manner of dispensing these relatively small cups is substantiall the same as that of dispensing the larger cups, as is clear by a comparison of Figs. 9 and 10 with Figs. 6 and 7.

The inwardly and downwardly sloping concave surfaces of the spring fingers are automatically positioned by the stack of cups placed in the dispenser to provide an automatically adjustable restricted dispensing throat in the dispensing area of the tubular member so that various sized cups may be readily accommodated in the dispenser and so that such various sized cups may be readily dispensed therefrom with substantially the same degree of effort.

When it is desired .to remove cups from the dispenser by pick up holder a substantially conical weight 21 is placed on the stack of cups for holding the stack firmly in the dispenser. The weight 21 may be connected by a chain 28 to the tubular member at 29 to prevent loss thereof. The weight holds the stack in position when the pick up holder is forced over the bottom cup of the stack for gripping the bottom cup to remove it from the stack.

While for purposes of illustration one form of this invention has been disclosed other forms thereof may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure, and therefore, this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cup dispenser for accommodating and dispensing paper cups having different rim diameters comprising, a substantially cylindrical tubular member for holding a stack of cups and having an internal diameter of such size for receiving stacks of cups of different rim diameters and having a dispensing area at the lower end thereof through which cups may be dispensed from the bottom of the stack one at a time, and a plurality of spring fingers circumferentially located and secured in the dispensing area of the tubular member to provide an automatically adjustable dispensing throat, each spring finger being formed to provide a longitudinal concave inner surface and being longitudinally arranged in the dispensing area with its upper end secured to the tubular member and with the side portions of the lower end bent outwardly for engaging the tubular member to provide an inwardly and downwardly concave sloping surface intermediate its ends for engaging the rims of the cups at points along the sloping surface dependent upon the rim diameters of the cups to support the stack of cups in the tubular member, the outwardly bent side portions of the spring fingers sliding on the tubular member to provide for flexing thereof to obtain the automatically adjustable dispensing throat.

2. A cup dispenser for dispensing paper cups comprising, a substantially cylindrical tubular member for holding a stack of cups and having a dispensing area at the lower end thereof through which cups may be dispensed from the bottom of the stack one at a time, and a plurality of spring fingers circumferentially located and secured in REFERENCES CITED the dispensing area of the tubular member, each spring finger being formed to provide a longitudinal concave inner surface and being longitu- The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

dinally arranged in the dispensing area with its ,3 NITED STATES PATENTS upper end secured to the tubular member and Number Na n with the side portions of the lower end bent cu 466 298 Dean m g wardly for engaging the tubular member to pro- 1 256913 Luella-1 1918 vide an inwardly and downwardly concave slop- 2369933 Amberg 21111121111: 1945 ing surface intermediate its ends for engaging the i0 rims of the cups to support the stack of cups in the tubular member, the outwardly bent portions of the spring fingers sliding on the tubular memher to provide for flexing thereof.

CLARK D. SIMS. 15 

